Heloise's Big Revelation
by Michael J.J
Summary: An accident with her newest invention leaves Heloise facing a part of her she's been denying for a long time.
1. Love

_A/N: Well, here's a fic I've been itching to write since I discovered this show. To all those who were waiting for me to update something else...sorry, I'm on it, I swear. Until then, read this. This is part one of a two-shot, which in turn will lead to the next fic in what will hopefully be a four part series._

_Disclaimer: Jimmy Two-Shoes copyright Edward Kay, Sean Scott, and Teletoon._

_He who lives a long life must pass through much evil - Spanish proverb_

---

Trying to ignore the sheer anger tossing around in her head, Heloise continued to tinker inside her latest invention. It was yet another creator of misery for Misery Inc, this one a bit of an experiment in psychological thrills. This invention, if it worked correctly, would be able to increase Lucius's misery output tenfold.

While the girl genius would normally be filled with glee at the prospect of thousands suffering thanks to her hard work, today she was feeling furious. She had turned to her work in hopes of alleviating the stress of the day's events. Sadly, there was no such luck, as her mind started to wander to the day's earlier events.

---

"_Heloise!" the voice of Lucius Heinous VII boomed around the lab as the diminutive demon entered the lab. "_Where are you?_" _

_The girl in question glanced up from the blueprints she was putting the finishing touches on, a bit of annoyance on her face. "Uh, right here. You know, right in front of you?"_

_Indeed, the entrance Lucius had used was a mere five feet from Heloise's desk. This fact, however, did not prevent the CEO of Misery Inc. from continuing his angry rant. "I can see where you are, what I can't see is the completed version of my machine that I told you to build!"_

_Heloise rolled his eyes. As usual, she had come up with the idea for the machine, designed it, and presented it, and Lucius had started taking credit for it the moment it sounded like a good idea. "Don't get yourself in a twist; I was just finishing modifying the blueprint. It'll be ready by tomorrow."_

"_Why isn't it finished tonight? I want my machine!" he yelled, in a tone that reminded Heloise of a bratty child rather than anyone of stature._

"_Because, I'm having dinner with Jimmy tonight," she answered simply, trying not to allow the smile on her face to become too evident._

_Hearing this, the dictator of Miseryville slapped his forehead with his hand. "You're putting off an invention to have dinner with that idiot? What is wrong with you?" he asked at the sheer inconceivability that his Head of R&D would even consider such an option._

"_What?" she demanded defensively as she rolled up her blueprint, "You told me to take care of him. I told you, I'm trying to twist him into someone…better suited to live Miseryville."_

"_You said that months ago, and he's still as goody-goody as when he showed up here!" her boss yelled, tensing up. "Just scrap that plan and kick him down with everyone else! He won't be so happy under one of my inventions!"_

"_Thant's pointless and you know it," Heloise stated bluntly as she stood up. "The only way to stop that boy from spreading any more joy is to warp him."_

"_I want him miserable!" Lucius yelled, shutting his eyes in anger as he began to jump up and down quickly. "Make him miserable, make him miserable, make him miserable!"_

_And then he stopped and opened his eyes. Heloise, paying no mind to the tyrant's temper tantrum, had walked right past him and was halfway to the door. "Sorry, Lucius, but I have a date tonight," she replied flatly._

_Lucius seethed with anger, his mind not able to even perform a coherent thought at this insubordination. Then, suddenly, his body stiffened, his eyes going wide as his mind reached a conclusion that disgusted him._

"_That boy…he's making you soft."_

_The girl, now at the doorframe, froze at the accusation, her body tensing up. Slowly, she turned toward her boss with a look that would set any lesser demon's skin on fire. "What?" she asked flatly, a hint of the intense anger she was harboring decorating the single word._

"_You spend all your free time with that boy and my worthless son. They're turning you into some goody-goody sap!"_

_If Lucius wasn't ruler of Miseryville, she probably would have destroyed him outright at that moment. Instead, the miniature mad scientist marched up to the tiny tyrant and looked him right in the eyes. "Maybe you've forgotten this, Lucy, but I don't do 'goody-goody'. Nothing about Jimmy has made any less a model employee for Misery Inc."_

"_Oh really?" Lucius responded, cocking an eyebrow while placing his hands on his hips. "Before he came along, you never offered to be a boy's bodyguard the moment he got famous, or defied my orders to get my worthless son his brain back, or tricked me into making something…fun," he spat the last word the same way one would say a disgusting curse. "Face it, you've become nothing but some giddy little schoolgirl ever since Two Shoes showed up."_

_Hearing what she had been compared to, her eyes flamed up, nearly literally. "Have you forgotten who I am?"_

"_I haven't forgotten who you're supposed to be. But apparently you have. Maybe I should find someone else to head R&D."_

"_You're dreaming, Lucius," Heloise said bluntly. "I remember how well it worked out for you the last time you fired me. As I recall, you were begging me to come back. Face it, Misery Inc. is nothing without me."_

_Lucius kept his gaze, but tensed up in anger, clenching his fists so tightly his claws dug into his palms. Still, no word left the demon's mouth._

_For a few moments, it hung in the air, the two equally willed opponents staring off. Finally, Heloise realized the lack of a response was a sign of surrender. Not changing her expression, she turned and walked out the door, leaving the dictator alone, grinding his teeth._

-----

Remembering the accusation, the girl felt herself tense up with anger. She was not getting soft, sure she was infatuated with Jimmy, but that didn't mean she was any less the girl she was when she met him.

As much as she told herself that, she still felt a nagging doubt in the back of her mind. Everything Lucius had cited was something she had indeed done, and she couldn't deny it was because of Jimmy that she had done those things. But she needed to get close to him so he could twist him into someone more suited to be her partner.

But she sighed, knowing how stupid that sounded. Deep inside, she knew it was more complicated. She loved Jimmy, deeper than she had loved anything before. While that notion disturbed the usually violent girl, what disturbed her more is the simple fact that she didn't know why she loved him. It was a mystery, one she had poured a lot of thought into.

At times, her behavior toward Jimmy flat out disgusted her. The picnic incident came to mind, when she tried to have a private lunch with him. The attempt to win his heart was ruined by Beezy and Cerbee's party crashing, but the damage had already been done. She had served him, cooked him food and waited on him like royalty, and she enjoyed every minute of it. After the whole incident was over, she nearly retched at the thought. She never did anything for anyone unless she had something to gain from it. Even her job spreading misery was one she wouldn't have taken if a six-figure salary wasn't attached.

She sighed. Speaking of serving Jimmy, her thoughts drifted to the attempted dinner with her crush.

----

_Heloise smiled as she brought the tray piled with what appeared to be tentacles over to her dining room table where Jimmy sat, sipping his drink. The blonde-haired boy took a whiff of the platter, sighing happily. "This smells good, Heloise, can't wait to taste it."_

_Despite herself, the girl giggled. "I really hope you like it, Jimmy, especially since you didn't get to taste my last meal." Then she paused, a frown coming over her features. "Cerbee and Beezy aren't here, are they?"_

"_Relax," Jimmy said with a wave of his hand, "Cerbee's at home sleeping."_

_Heloise perked up, clasping her hands together in hopefulness. "Great! The main course will be ready in just a minute, and then we can have a nice, quiet dinner."_

"_Sounds good," another voice cut through the air._

_Heloise tensed up, her left eye twitching. She spun around to see her fears confirmed. Beezy J. Heinous was standing in her dining room, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of a free meal._

"_What are you doing here?" the girl genius snarled angry, clenching her fists together in anger at seeing her rival for Jimmy's attention in her house. "Get out!"_

"_Aw, come on Heloise," Jimmy said happily, oblivious to the reason she wanted him gone. "The more the merrier!"_

"_But it was going to be just us," she said sadly, slouching down. Then she straightened back up in panic. "Get away from that!" she screeched._

_But it was to no avail. Beezy lumbered over to the table, grabbing the plate and downing the contents in a single gulp._

"_Those were for me and Jimmy!" Heloise screamed, raising her arms into the air._

"_Guys, guys," Jimmy said, sensing that his two best friends were about to start another chapter in their battle over his friendship, "let's calm down and talk this out…"_

_But Beezy ignored his friend, turning to Heloise. "Aw, lighten up, you've got plenty of food left."_

"_But it's for me and Jimmy!"she screamed, her teeth seemingly becoming jagged in anger. Beezy was not intimidated, but merely stood his ground._

"_And why should you get to spend more time with Jimmy than me?" the large demon said angrily._

"_Guys, come on, can't you too get along for once?" Jimmy said, remembering the last time the two got into a fight over him. He was in no mood to share his house with two bickering friends for another two weeks._

"_Because I'm his best friend!" Heloise yelled. Jimmy placed his palm on his forehead. Now there was no stopping the humongous fight._

_Well, nothing he could do anyway. At that moment the timer in Heloise's kitchen went off, signaling that the main course was ready._

_And Beezy had heard it. "Food's ready!" he boomed._

"_You stay away from my kitchen!" the scientist screamed, but to no avail. The youngest Heinous pushed past her and into the kitchen, where he flung open the oven, revealing a freshly cooked bird. Before Heloise could stop him, and faster than her eyes could follow, the large demon wolfed the whole bird down, spitting out the bones._

_Heloise's eye twitched. Then, she put on her angriest scowl, fire dancing in her eyes. "You idiot!" she shrieked, jumping on top of him and violently pounding him with her fists. And it hurt, if the girl had a weapon he would have feared for his life._

"_That's it!" Jimmy yelled, finally standing up. "I'm sick of you two arguing every time we try and hang out. I'm leaving." With that, he headed toward the door._

"_What?" Heloise asked, panicking. She jumped of Beezy and chased after him. "But, it's not my fault, he's being an idiot!"_

"_I don't care," Jimmy said, waving his arms with uncharacteristic anger. "I'm sick of you two getting into an argument every time we try to hang out. I don't care whose fault it is right now, I just don't want to have to put up with this right now. I'm going home."_

"_But…" Heloise said desperately. But Jimmy slammed the front door, on his way to his own home._

_Heloise just stood there in shock, frozen at how far south her plan had gone. Her eye twitched a little._

"_Now look what you've done!" Beezy said._

_In a flash the girl whirled around, looking very intimidating despite her size. "Get out! Now!"_

_Beezy jumped two feet into the air before dashing out of the house in fear, leaving Heloise alone. She just stood there, breathing deeply in anger, before letting loose an anguished scream that all of Miseryville heard._

----

Just thinking back to that incident caused her body to tense up with anger. Why did that big oaf Beezy always have to monopolize all of Jimmy's free time? Why did Jimmy never tell the youngest Heinous off for his boorish behavior? Why did there seem to be times that the blonde-headed boy didn't even seem to notice she existed, despite her being insanely loyal to him? Well…except the few times she had to knock him around on Lucius's orders.

As soon as that thought entered her brain, her shoulders drooped, and her work slowed to a stop. She had just answered one of her own questions. As often as she had defied her boss's orders, she had also followed them, even when it meant hurting the boy she cared so much about. But…she couldn't lose her job to weakness, could she? Besides, Jimmy was so happy-go-lucky that by next week it was like nothing happened. It wasn't like it was a big deal.

But Heloise knew that was a lie. She was terrible to Jimmy at times; of course he'd be adverse to her. He was the most innocent guy he had ever met, while she was the meanest girl in Miseryville.

After mulling over this for a few moments, she got angry again. Her work continued with renewed vigor, hoping to channel her anger into something productive. Alas, her thought process was just too infuriating. She hated being this confused. Her life had been simple before Jimmy showed up, all she had to do was build things and spread misery. Now…she wasn't sure what to do.

She hated Lucius for being such a spineless child, for pushing her around and for making her hurt Jimmy. She hated Beezy for sabotaging her alone time with Jimmy, for getting in the way of her attempts to win him over. She hated that dumb dog Cerbee for giving Jimmy something to take his mind off her. And most of all, she hated Jimmy for making her fall in love with him, for throwing her thought process into disarray, for everything!

Unfortunately, all her anger took her attention off her work. As a result, she wasn't watching what she was doing. So naturally, the explosion that occurred as a result of her neglect caught her completely off guard.

Before she knew it, a loud boom rang in her ears, and a strange silver substance sprayed all over her. The shocked knocked her clear off her feet, sending her across the room. She hit the steel wall head first, causing her to black out instantly.

---

Heloise moaned, slowly coming to her senses. Or at least, so she thought. Though her vision was coming into focus, all she could see was white in all directions. She wasn't in her home; she might not even be in Miseryville.

Rubbing her smarting skull, she stood up. Her mind, sharp from several years of invention and calculations, was already assessing the situation, almost robotically. She had been working in her personal lab when there had been an explosion. She remembered silver goo spraying over her. She scanned her memory, trying to remember what she had been building.

"It was…a psychological method of spreading misery," she spoke out loud, a habit of hers whenever she needed to think straight. "A machine that would allow us to enter the victim's psyche, to find out what made them tick…"

"It would allow you to force anyone to face what they didn't want to face," a new voice rang.

Heloise tensed up in surprise. In a flash she whirled around reaching for the weapon she always carried with her. Normally this would be a ray gun of some sort, but having a weapon like that with you on the work floor where explosions where there were several highly inflammable objects she could accidentally hit made that a bad idea. No, her current weapon was a pair of nunchaku, the same pair she had used on Jimmy and Beezy during the hiccup incident a few weeks ago.

Had she finished reaching for them, she would have realized that they weren't there. But what she saw was enough to override anyone's mind, even one as smoothly operating as hers.

The person that she saw in front of her was herself.

Or at least, it looked a lot like her. She had the same face, the same height, the same dirty blonde hair. But the similarities were offset by differences. The other Heloise's hair was let down, allowed to hang freely at her waist. Instead of a blood red dress, she wore instead on that was pure white, so white it blended in with the surroundings to the point where Heloise had to strain her eyes to see it. As a final touch the scar that should have decorated her forehead was gone. This girl looked less like Heloise and more like an angel.

The genuine article was tense for several more seconds, her brain processing the current situation. Then, finally, realization crossed her features, and she relaxed her body. "I get it…I'm inside my own mind, right?"

"That's what you invented the machine for, isn't it?" the other Heloise responded. "Send someone into their psyche, force them to bring up inner demon, childhood trauma, repressed memories and force the poor souls to suffer through their greatest tormenters: themselves."

A cruel smile crossed the scientist's features at the accurate description of her invention. The thought of just how much someone could suffer under her technology, and how much longer the emotional scars would last than any physical ones could, was enough to make her giddy. But the happiness was short lived as further realization swept over her. "So, I take it you're something that's going to torment me."

The other Heloise shook her head, putting on a sad smile. "I am something you've been running from for a long time, something you've been foolishly fighting for years. Something you tried to cast aside years ago."

"Weakness," Heloise answered quickly, visibly disgusted by the motherly tone the other her spoke in.

Again, the other Heloise shook her head. "I'm Love. I'm compassion and humanity, I'm humility and kindness."

"Like I said, weakness," Heloise said coldly. "I don't need you, I never did."

"Oh really?" Love said with a smirk. "That's not how you think around Jimmy."

At the mention of the blonde-headed boy that she loved, Heloise flew into a rage, fire appearing in her eyes. Giving an anguished cry she dove at the representation of her discarded emotions, but only succeeded in passing through her. She did a roll on the ground before leaping to her feet. She turned and lunged at Love, attempting to punch her several times, though she might as well have been punching air.

"It's your fault!" she shrieked. "You made me fall in love with Jimmy! You turned me into this mess! Make it stop! Make me hate him!"

"Is it my fault?" Love asked with a warm smile, still talking in a motherly tone despite her human's murderous rage. "I'm merely an emotion. I count on you to give me power. I cannot do anything unless you allow it."

"Then I'll stop giving you power!" Heloise snarled. She had given up harming Love, but she was still standing tense, her hands in fists.

"If it's that simple, then why haven't you done it?" Love asked simply.

If anything, this comment made Heloise angrier, causing her to tense up further. "I…I…you…."

"As much as you fight me, you don't want to get rid of me. As much as you deny me, you want me in your life." As Love spoke, the area around them became black, all the white gone. Despite this, Heloise still saw clearly. "There wasn't always a time when you refused me."

"Oh really?" Heloise answered, trying not to sound to unnerved at the scenery change. "I can't remember any time when I was like you."

"Of course you don't," Love retorted as the black began to fade into some actual scenery. "This is your first memory, isn't it?"

Heloise looked around at the new scenery. It was a plain metallic room; the walls were made of the same metal as her laboratory. There was no decoration, no furniture, no windows; nothing was in the room except for one figure.

It was Heloise…or rather, the younger her. She was younger, twelve as opposed to seventeen, and she was wearing something other than her trademark red dress. Instead, she wore a red tank top with blue jeans, with plain white tennis shoes. The one thing that Heloise focused on, though, was the fact that the younger self was lacking her trademark scar.

The past Heloise was looking around the room nervously when the sole door in the room opened and in walked four figures. One was Lucius, with Samy following next to him holding a clipboard. Flanking them were two of Lucius' minotaur soldiers.

"So, this is the new arrival?" the seventh-generation Heinous questioned, arching an eyebrow. "And Dr. Asimov wants _her_ as an assistant?"

"Th-that's correct sir," the goblin replied, looking at the clipboard. "He has requested that she be brought to his lab after she's been fitted."

"Hmm, well, he is a bit crazy," the diminutive ruler mused as he walked up to the girl.

"Who are you?" the younger Heloise asked. The younger girl was rewarded with a slap across the face from the one questioned.

"Here's something you're going to have to get used to," Lucius snarled to the girl. "This is Miseryville, and I rule here. I ask the questions, and you answer them. You don't ask anything of me."

The younger Heloise cringed at his glare, and indeed the older was taken aback. By now she was indispensible to Misery Inc. and enjoyed tormenting him. She had forgotten there was a reason why he was still running Miseryville centuries after freezing his father.

"Now, what's your name, my dear?" Lucius asked with sincerity that was easily identifiable as false.

Shaking nervously, the younger Heloise answered. "Heloise."

Lucius gave a wicked smirk and nodded. "Good. Now then, how about a last name? Or a hometown? Names of parents? Best friends? Anything?"

A look of thought crossed past Heloise's face before she looked back at her tormenter. "I…I can't remember."

The young girl winced, as if expecting another slap, but Lucius just smiled. "Excellent. No further memory, as usual. Now, we can begin the fitting." He brought up his hand and snapped his fingers.

Before the past Heloise knew it, the two minotaurs were on either side of her, holding her arms to keep her still. The younger girl tried to struggle, much to Lucius's amusement.

"Now, now, my dear, you're only making this harder on yourself," the dictator taunted. He licked one of his fingers, which caused a distinct hiss. He then brought the finger up to the struggling girl's forehead.

Suddenly the younger Heloise stopped dead as Lucius's claw cut into her forehead. There was no struggling, no screams of pain as her skin and skull were cut open. "Samy, hand me the device," the red ruler ordered, not taking his eyes off his work.

Samy, who still was nauseous even after seeing this ritual repeated several times, weakly handed his boss a small, metallic cylinder, no bigger than an inch long. Not taking his eyes off his victim, Lucius took the device and slipped it in the open wound. Licking his finger once again, he ran it across the cut, his saliva apparently cauterizing the wound.

"There now, that wasn't so bad, now was it?" Lucius said with mock sincerity, patting the younger Heloise's cheek. He turned to his guards. "Take her to Asimov, and tell him this girl better be worth what we traded to get her."

Needing no other orders, the two minotaurs picked the girl up and carried her out of the room, with Lucius and Samy following. The room faded and became black again, leaving Heloise and Love alone.

Heloise brought her hand up to her forehead, feeling the scar she had become so accustomed to all these years. "Why'd you have to remind me of that day?" she said, trying to sound angry rather than sad, an attempt that failed.

"We sometimes have to face painful things to face the truth," Love answered simply.

"What are you, a fortune cookie?" Heloise snapped. "What is this supposed to prove?"

"You'll understand soon enough," Love answered as the black faded in to a new scene.

Heloise recognized it as her lab…or rather, it would be her lab. At this point in time, she guessed, it wasn't hers yet. This was confirmed as the door to the lab opened and the minotaurs stepped inside, carrying the still twelve-year-old Heloise.

"Alright, doc, here's the human you wanted," the first minotaur said. "And Mr. Heinous wants some results out of her."

"Tell him not to worry," Dr. Asimov said as he walked onto the scene. "I've kept my eyes on her when she was up above, she'll be sufficient."

In many ways, Dr. Asimov looked very much like a mix between Lucius and Samy. He was short and goblin-like, with dirty and wrinkled yellow skin. He had sharp, bull like horn on his head, as well as ears flopped down behind his head. He wore goggles, making his pitch-black eyes appear larger than they really were, which rested above a large beak which held a row of incredibly sharp teeth. He wore a white lab coat with black pants and boots, as well as a pair of dark rubber gloves that covered his clawed hands.

"Now, leave us, I must initiate my new pupil," the scientist said, waving his hand in a dismissive notion. The guards seemed a little put off by being blown off so casually, but did as instructed.

The younger Heloise stared at the scientist. She contemplated asking a name, but remembered what had happened with Lucius and opted to remain silent until spoken to.

"Man, I was such a wuss back then," the current Heloise muttered. Love didn't respond.

"I take it you've already been fitted?" Asimov asked.

Past Heloise responded with a nervous nod…but then paused in contemplation. "I guess you mean that they put that thing in my head, right?"

"Yes, my dear. That's just a formality, you can't live in Miseryville looking like that," the doctor said, looking the girl over. The past Heloise inhaled sharply, something Asimov just ignored. "That device is implanted in everyone who arrives in Miseryville, where you now reside. In a few years you'll be transformed into a less…human appearance," he explained, saying human as if the species as a whole were nothing but vermin.

The younger Heloise's eyes went wide with shock. "What! How could you-"

In a flash Asimov had her hand around her neck, effectively stopping the outburst. "I suggest you remain silent," the doctor threatened. "You best be grateful, many humans we get down here don't get the opportunity I'm giving you. An eternity of forced labor or incomprehensible torture awaits anyone who doesn't work for the Heinous family. But I've taken a special interest in you."

Asimov dropped Heloise to the ground before continuing. "You don't remember much before you came to Miseryville, and I'd advise you not to ask too many questions about that topic, but you're quite the prodigy when it came to science, and you had quite the right attitude towards life. Both of those qualities are what's needed to serve as my assistant. You'll live a life of privilege and luxury, safe from the horrors most residents of Miseryville have to face. So I suggest you get used to working for me…it's as good of a deal as you'll ever get down here."

As the scene faded to black, Love spoke. "You were intimidated by him back then."

"I was weak," Heloise responded bluntly. "I wasn't aware of the way things really are in the world."

"You mean, the way things are in Miseryville," Love corrected.

"There's no leaving Miseryville," Heloise reminded. "How things work anywhere else doesn't matter to me."

"That's what Lucius and Asimov told you, isn't it? And you chose to believe it."

"No one's escaped Miseryville after being brought here," Heloise reminded. "Anyway, what's the point? No one remembers anything before coming here. I might not even have anything beyond this town. Besides, I love it here, I get to cause misery and get a big fat paycheck for it!"

"Do you really love it here? Are you really happy?"

"Of course I am!" Heloise snapped. "Why would you ask that?"

"I'm a part of you, remember?" Love responded. "You're asking that question, somewhere inside of yourself."

Heloise suddenly felt silent, her eyes going wide as she took in that very valid point. Then, just as quickly as it happened, she returned to her angry self. "You're Love, an emotion that disturbs logical thinking. Why should I listen to anything you tell me?"

Love just put on a smug smile and shook her head. "Trying to rationalize me away again? You've tried that for months, you know it doesn't work."

Again, Heloise was silenced. Love went on as the lab faded back into the picture. "Besides, you can't deny your first few months in Miseryville weren't happy ones."

As the scene faded in, the sound of pained screaming filled the room. Heloise soon realized they were coming from the younger her, who was currently withering on the tiled floor, screaming bloody murder despite being untouched. Looming over her was Asimov, who was clutching a small remote, holding down a red button. After a few seconds he released it, and the younger Heloise stopped her cries, breathing heavily to catch her breath.

The younger version of the girl was no longer in the casual clothes she had worn when she had awoken in Miseryville. She now wore a stereotypical white lab coat with black pants, boots, and gloves. It wasn't the most original uniform, but Asimov had made her wear it nearly every day. Only during formal occasions, Lucius' events that the two scientists were required to attend, did he allow her to wear anything else.

"I really wish you would quit making incorrect calculations, miss," Asimov said slowly. "Rise to your feet. Now, or I'll shock you again." The younger girl did as she was told, grasping the blackboard she had been writing calculations on in an effort to stay upright. "You know, every time I have to use it to punish you, my marvelous device has to take attention away from mutating you."

Heloise didn't answer, obviously still recovering from the pain that had been inflicted on her. Whenever the device in her brain was activated, it felt like her skull would split in two. The pain was so intense that it always turned her into a pathetic mess, withering on the floor. And since it left no damage afterward, it could go on forever without killing her, meaning Asimov could use it on her without any worries of losing the young girl.

"You mustn't lose your focus, my dear, you must become a perfect calculating machine," Asimov continued as he flipped the chalkboard over, revealing a blank slate. "Now try again, and remember: one false calculation means another use of my marvelous device."

Past Heloise weakly picked up her chalk and began writing out a very long calculation as the scene went black.

"It was worth it," Heloise said before Love could get a word in edgewise. "It sharpened my mind like nothing I've ever tried. It made me a genius."

"Weren't you already a genius?" Love asked innocently, tilting her head sideways. "Isn't that why Asimov wanted you?"

"I had potential," Heloise clarified. "I was already great with science and machines…how, I don't exactly know. Something in my life before Miseryville made me a child prodigy. But whatever it was, it didn't reach its full potential until Asimov trained me."

"Training? Is that what you call it?" Love countered with a lifted eyebrow.

"Shut up!" the younger girl snapped. "Asimov taught me to focus my mind. Even under the most stressful situations my mind makes perfect calculations. It's second nature now."

"Yes it is, I suppose," her emotion countered. "And now you have a reflex that causes you to flinch every time you make a mistake."

The young scientist only grumbled at that point. "Okay, maybe it did do that, but you have to make sacrifices to be the best."

"And I suppose that's what you'd say to Asimov if you saw him now?" Love said as the lab faded back in. "To explain why you did what you did to him?"

At this, Heloise put on a wicked grin. She turned and found to her glee that the next memory was one of her favorites.

The younger Heloise, now thirteen, was working with absolute precision, tightening bolts and connecting wires with a speed unheard of in a human. Asimov's brutal conditioning had the desired effect, her mind was now as sharp and quick as a computer.

The device she was working on looked simple enough, a large metal hoop, about teen feet in diameter and a foot in width, supported by a larger base. It looked like a stereotypical portal machine from a Saturday morning cartoon show, not that Heloise would even remember what a cartoon was, seeing as how Lucius would never allow something as fun as that in his town.

The young lab assistant finished her work and closed the panel she had been tinkering with. From a distance, Asimov smiled. "Excellent, my dear, my newest work of genius is now complete," he said as he walked toward it, with the remote for the newest device in hand. As Heloise walked to his side, the evil doctor pressed a button on the remote.

In an instant the hoop surged with electricity. Lightening jumped across the opening, moving quicker than either scientist's eyes could follow. Before either one knew it, the inside of the hoop was a wall of electricity.

"Excellent! The newest torture device actually works! I'm a genius!" Asimov congratulated himself. The machine he had just completed was designed to punish those who crossed Lucius. It was a mere electric conductor, except that it had been modified so that electricity could cause more pain with less damage. It was far from the most efficient thing Asimov had invented, but the dictator of Miseryville liked variety in his torture.

"Now then, we may have gotten this prototype finished, but it still doesn't work the way it's meant to," the yellow-skinned monster muttered as he rubbed his chin. "This setting might be set up too high to effectively provide continuous torture. It will probably simply kill the subject outright. Heloise, fetch me a test subject from the dungeon," he finished, waving the girl away.

However, to his surprise, Heloise simply put and hand on his back. "I don't think that will be necessary."

Heloise saw the whole memory play out before her, but in her mind there was little transition. In one moment Asimov was standing in front of his invention.

In the next he was suddenly in his invention, having been pushed into it by his assistant. Asimov withered and screamed, intense pain coursing through every vain, while Heloise ran from the portal and ducked behind a lab table. Once under cover, she checked her watch. The second hand ticked down. 57…58…59…

The following explosion shook the laboratory, knocking beakers off the tables and books of the shelves. Despite the chaos and destruction, Heloise could do nothing but laugh. Asimov was a fool, thinking he had her in the palm of his hand, testing what could potentially be a volatile machine without blast shields. It was her who sabotaged the machine, rigged it to explode, allowing her to rid herself of her jailer and receive his position in the process.

The shaking stopped, but Heloise had only been dimly aware of it through her giddiness. She stood up, collected herself, and tried putting on a panicked look. Everyone would assume Asimov died messing with something he didn't understand, but she didn't need her happiness making anyone suspicious. After successfully collecting herself, she ran out of the lab, ready to put on her act.

"You're so charming," Love smirked as the scene faded once more. "You'd give Samy a run for his money."

"Don't give me that," Heloise grunted. "There was no way I was going to stay under Asimov forever. He may have given me this amazing mind, but I still hated him."

"And yet you've become just like him."

"Because it's funny when I do it," the scientist responded.

"So you tell everyone, as is the way in Miseryville," Love droned. "And yet, there's always this little lingering doubt in the back of your mind, isn't there? One little thought that you hate what you're doing, it's been gnawing at your mind since you got promoted."

"Nothing more than leftover weakness," Heloise dismissed. "It's been getting weaker over the last few years."

Love once again shook her head. "So you've told yourself, time and time again. You're still rehashing the same thing you've been telling yourself for years."

"Yeah, and I lasted years with that mentality," the girl genius responded. "It got me to the top in Miseryville. I can get anything I want."

"No, you only thought you could get anything you want. I think you know what I'm talking about."

At that, Heloise tensed up again. She knew this memory was coming up. It was that happened months ago, yet she remembered as clearly as yesterday.

The day she met Jimmy Two-Shoes.


	2. Jimmy

A/N: Okay, long wait, but here's chapter 2. I planned this as a two shot, but I came up with more material than I anticipated.

Evil is the product of the ability of humans to make abstract that which is concrete. – Jean-Paul Sartre

* * *

Of all the memories that Heloise had relived during this journey into her psych, it was this particular day that the young engineer remembered with the most fondness. At the moment, her past self was in her lab with several young Minotaurs strapped down to several operation tables, with the several months younger version of herself pulling of a pair of bloody rubber gloves. Blood had inevitably splattered onto her red dress, but that was the reason she preferred to wear that particular color, the stains never showed.

Even if she hadn't remembered this day with picture perfect clarity, she could have pieced together exactly what she had been doing. While most citizens of Miseryville were simply transformed into monsters, the Minotaurs were grown specifically by Lucius's top scientist using genetics resulting from years of research. After they were seven years old, their minds were completely wiped to ensure complete and eternal loyalty to the Heinous family.

As the past Heloise began washing her hands in a nearby sink, Lucius's image flickered on the large monitor that made up the top part of the back wall. Usually neat and presentable, his suit and tie were ruffled; he had clearly been through a struggle.

"Heloise! Get down to Room 101! We've got a newcomer who's giving use trouble!"

Past Heloise rolled her eyes, but began exiting the lab. No snarky comment left her mouth, no insult toward Lucius's ability (or lack thereof) to do his job. She simply began to obey.

The newcomers were always fitted in Room 101. The same procedure she had undergone several years prior, which Lucius carried out whenever he had the time, which was always, since he was the ruler of Miseryville. People changed their schedules to accommodate him, not the other way around, and he always made time to traumatize someone for life. Nothing told the newcomers he was a tyrannical dictator like a personal fitting.

Exactly where the newcomers came from, Heloise still didn't know, despite being such an important part of Misery Inc. for nearly five years. About a year after she had removed Asimov, she finally summoned the courage to ask Lucius where these newcomers come from. Initially, the tiny tyrant exploded with rage, telling her she would ask for no answers from him on subjects she didn't know before stomping off, not doing something painful to her, much to her relief. Soon after, though, he calmly told her she's find out when she needed to. All she had to do was focus on the transformations. No humans would beautify his perfectly hideous city.

At least he thought. Heloise's first act of freedom had been to disable the device implanted in her brain. After seeing the shape of some of the residents of Miseryville, she would prefer to keep her human form. Of course, by the time she had deactivated it there had already been some changes in her. A slithering way of movement, her teeth becoming sharp and her eyes fiery when angry, her strength doubled and, to her horror, facial hair growing. She had worked to find some way to reverse these effects, but she had no such luck. She had tried to keep her insubordination hidden from Lucius by saying the device must not be very effective on her. Somehow, she wasn't sure he bought it.

As the young scientist opened the door, her eyes widened. She quickly dived to the side just in time to avoid Samy, who had been flung from the room by a powerful force.

"No, you idiots!" Lucius's voice screamed from inside the room. "Hit the boy, not Samy…even though it was funny."

Heloise peered into the room to see the disheveled Lucius with two of the Minotaurs, each carrying what appeared to be a giant baseball bat, trying to hit a green blur that was zipping around the room.

Rolling her eyes, Heloise pulled out what appeared to be a raygun that you'd see on a hokey Sixties television show. Aiming carefully, she fired the gun, which struck the moving blur, causing it to freeze in place. She could now see that it was a young boy, about her age, with golden hair. This was all she could tell, since his back was facing her.

"Hey, what the…?" the boy stuttered.

"It's about time, Heloise!" Lucius snarled. "Where were you?"

"I got down here as fast as I could sir," Heloise said formally, causing her present self to wince. It was rather painful to see her so subservient to someone else. "Perhaps I should make more of these for the Minotaurs to use."

"I don't have time for your stupid ideas!" Lucius yelled, who defined stupid ideas as ones he didn't think of. "Just help me fit this boy."

Heloise, struggling to stop herself from letting loose some kind of snarky comment, turned her target.

"Now, you better let Mr. Heinous fit you, or…"

Heloise stopped mid-threat. She had finally gotten a look at the boy's face…and it was perfect. Or at least, that's how she felt about it. He was handsome, his face clean from any irregularities, his golden hair sticking straight up, his expression was still one of stunned puzzlement, and it was cute.

The young scientist mentally slapped herself. Cute? What was she thinking, that had no place in Miseryville! She had to focus, to help fit this guy and prepare him for an eternity of misery.

Then he smiled, revealing a gap in his teeth. Heloise nearly melted. It was the most wonderful thing she had ever seen. She could gaze at him for hours.

She might have, had the two Minotaurs not grabbed the young boy on either side. "Finally," Lucius said with glee, rubbing his claws together like some stereotypical Bond villain. "We can continue the fitting." He paused, his mood turning sour again. "Where's Samy?"

At that point, the goblin staggered into the room, still dizzy from being knocked out of the room. "Samy, I don't pay you to bleed, give me the device!"

Too damaged to give a coherent response, Samy handed him the small device, exactly the same model that was currently lodged in Heloise's head. Grinning, the ruler of Miseryville turned toward the boy. "And now, you're going to…"

Suddenly, Lucius let out a cry, tossing the device away and shaking his hand, blowing on it. The machine soared through the air until it was caught by one of the Minotaurs, who enclosed it tightly in his fist. About half a second later, the device exploded, blowing the creature's hand in three different pieces.

Heloise, Lucius, and the boy stared at this site with shocked awe. The Minotaur didn't flinch, unable to feel pain and unwilling to show shock as a result of the young scientist's programming. Samy continued to bleed on the floor. For a few seconds, silence hung in the air.

"Cool!" the boy suddenly exclaimed, his eyes brightening. Lucius, however, did not look amused.

"What was that? Heloise, your machine blew up! Why can't you build anything right?"

The brunette inhaled sharply at the insult. "I built it to exact specifications, sir," she said through clenched teeth. "Perhaps Samy ruined it when he was carrying it."

"Well, whatever it is, I'm going to get another one. Come on, boys," he commanded to the two Minotaurs. "And Samy, quit bleeding on my floor, that's coming out of your pay!"

The goblin just groaned. "…stars! Ready when you are, Raoul!"

"Watch him until I get back," the seventh generation Heinous ordered Heloise. The young girl only muttered a "yes sir" as he left.

"Aw, I thought it was pretty cool," the boy said. In the confusion, Heloise had accidentally released the trigger on her gun, allowing the boy to go free. Not that he had gone anywhere; he was still standing right next to her.

Heloise turned to the boy. Her face felt hot and she had butterflies in her stomach. She felt good…and she hated it. What was this boy doing to her? What was different about him? Not only was he making her feel weird, but the device exploding as well…was there something different about this boy?

"My name's Jimmy," the boy introduced himself. "What's your name?"

"Heloise," the girl answered, somewhat dazed because she was still in thought.

Jimmy smiled. "That's a pretty name."

That snapped her out of it. "Pretty? It means 'famous warrior'! It's not meant to be cute!"

"But it is!" Jimmy said happily. "And it really fits you."

Heloise stared at him in anger…until the implications of what he said set in. Was he calling her pretty?

"Hey, your face is changing color. Cool!"

Heloise's already red face blushed deeper at that comment. "Just shut up! What's your problem, anyway?'

"Nothing. I'm just trying to be your friend."

Heloise only snorted. "Friends? I don't have any friends."

At that moment, Jimmy's jaw dropped, his eyes widening in shock. "No friends? That's terrible."

The young girl rolled her eyes. "That's just the way things are in Miseryville."

"Well, that needs to change."

Now Heloise's eyes widened. "You better be careful what you say. You don't want to cross Lucius, he'll make you regret it."

"Who, the red guy? He seems like fun."

Heloise could only place her head in her hands. "Lucius? Are you out of your mind? Do you even have one?"

"Why? What's wrong with him?"

"What's?" the scientist sputtered, barely managing to gather her thoughts. "He's the guy in charge! He'll cut you up if he doesn't like you, and that's if you're lucky!"

Jimmy just waved his hand dismissively. "Aw, I bet all he needs is a friend."

Heloise shook her head. "Friends mean nothing. He doesn't need or want them. Neither do I. They're pointless."

"You're just saying that because you've never had one. I'll be your friend."

A panicked look crossed Heloise's face. She put her hands up defensively. "No way, you'll get me killed! Lucius will grind me into dust."

Jimmy scoffed. "He can't be that bad."

At that point, he was suddenly grabbed and pinned once more. Lucius had returned and, with him, his two Minotaurs, one of them still missing his hand from earlier, not even allowed or wanting the chance to bandage it.

"Oh, but I am," the seventh generation Heinous smirked, holding another device in one of his claws. "And now I'm going to Gah!" he screamed once again as he jerked back in pain, the device flying through the air. One of the Minotaurs released its hold on Jimmy and caught the device, which soon exploded, taking its other hand.

"Cool!" Jimmy clapped. "Do it again, Lucy!"

The tyrant of Miseryville shook his head. "Argh, that stupid…_what did you call me?_" he said, the nickname registering in his brain. He looked angry, which caused Heloise to tense. Nothing good had ever happened in centuries when a Heinous got angry.

"It's a nickname," Jimmy said casually, as if Lucius hadn't bellowed the previous question. "It shows were friends, buddies, amigos…"

"I don't have friends," the CEO bellowed. "I'm ruler of Miseryville! Boys, take this idiot and throw him in the Abyss of Nothingness!"

As the Minotaurs moved to obey, a voice cut through the air. "No!"

Lucius ears perked up. With calm fury, he turned to Heloise, who had a panicked look on her face. "Pardon me, but did I actually hear you defy one of my orders?" he said calmly, but the threatening undertones were there.

Heloise had caught herself off guard. No one spoke that way about Lucius's orders. However, she quickly composed herself and thought up an excuse. "I apologize, sir; it's just that he could be a real asset to us. I mean, if he can make the devices explode like that, there must be something about him. If I could figure out what that is, I bet I could redesign the devices to be ten times more efficient. We could multiply the misery output overnight!"

Lucius paused, stroking his chin in thought. "That does sound good," he admitted. "Well, alright, escort him to the dungeon."

"Uh, sir," Heloise spoke again, "I could get better results if he were moved somewhere I could keep an eye on him."

Lucius threw up his hands in annoyance. "Fine, just keep him away from me!"

"Oh, don't worry, sir, I know exactly where to put him…"

The scene faded to black once more, leaving the present Heloise and Love alone.

"You're quite a good liar, aren't you?" the repressed emotion noted coyly, "coming up with a reason that he'd accept to keep Jimmy around."

Heloise huffed, crossing his arms. "It wasn't a lie…not entirely. The boy…he did something to me. I needed to figure him out."

"You mean, why you fell in love with him? Or why he made you defy Lucius?"

At the first question, Heloise got angry, but the second question made her cringe. "Ugh, don't remind me. I can't believe I was ever afraid of that idiot."

"Yes…it's thanks to Jimmy that you're not, isn't it? But we're getting ahead of ourselves," Love noted as the scene faded in again. This time it was the interior of Jimmy's house that came into view, with the doorbell constantly being rung, the sign that someone impatient was on the other side of the door. And instead of Jimmy crossing the room and answering the door, it was another resident of Miseryville.

Heloise had discovered Dorkus soon after ridding herself of Asimov. After she had comfortably secured her former mentor's position, she was told by Lucius that she needed to designate an assistant and possible successor in the event that anything unfortunate was to befall her. Heloise understood this to mean that he wanted her to stay expendable so she could be tossed aside whenever he grew displeased with her.

Nevertheless, she soon found her assistant. Dorkus was short, scrawny, and posed no physical threat. Like everyone else, he had no memory of life pre-Miseryville, but cared little to find out, only interested in climbing the corporate ladder within Misery Inc. He had always bothered Lucius and Asimov with his inventions, which the two tolerated since he made a good punching bag whenever Samy was too unconscious to scream in pain properly.

He was the perfect assistant. Heloise hired him, but never let him get a glance at any blueprints or involved him in any construction. She would handle all that work herself, and throw all paperwork onto her new assistant. He was a mere pencil pusher, with no training in any skill that would allow him to replace her. She wasn't going to make the same mistake her now-deceased mentor made.

Dorkus had to hop, but he reached the doorknob and opened the door. Almost immediately his superior came through the door, towering over him despite her small stature and clutching a baseball bat in one hand.

"Dorkus, I need this house, you can go sleep in a ditch."

"But…" the small creature started to protest, but Heloise grabbed him, tossed him in the air, and hit him with the bat. The small pencil pusher went flying, crashing through a window and landing in the yard next door, bloody and pierced with glass shards.

Giving a satisfied smile, Heloise used the bat as a cane, leaning on it like one would against a wall as she called in Jimmy. The boy entered the home, looking around. "It seems kind of bland, but a bit of color will fix that."

"Yeah, color…" Heloise muttered, more distracted by the sight of Jimmy. As he darted around the house, looking at the various furniture and decorations, she just wondered to herself. Who was this boy? Why did he have such an effect on her? What made her talk back to Lucius, something of which she was likely the first survivor of? She had to study this boy carefully, to answer all of those questions…and find an answer to why he overloaded the device, she supposed.

She blinked. The boy was getting her to forget her duties to Misery Inc…all the more reason to study him, she supposed.

Her thoughts were interrupted by music cutting through the air. She finally noticed that Jimmy had found Dorkus's stereo. At first, it puzzled Heloise why Lucius allowed leisurely things in his city, but it was soon explained to her: without something pleasurable to compare things to, no one would be truly miserable. Where it nothing but torture and torment at all times, the citizens would lose consciousness. They'd react, but they wouldn't be truly miserable. By allowing them a sliver of happiness, some glimmer of hope, they could crush them all the more cruelly.

The music that drifted through the air was a slow dance song, the kind Heloise had always despised. She made a face of disgust, but it was soon lost when Jimmy took one of her hands. "Come on, Heloise, let's dance."

"I don't dance," the brunette said angrily, beginning to pull away.

"Oh come on, it's easy, I'll teach you how," the tall boy said, not letting go.

"I said no, now let g…"

But the petite girl's protests stopped when Jimmy put an arm around her waist and pulled her in close. Heloise froze up, her eyes becoming wide. Being held so close caused a strange kind of swelling in her chest. It was a strange feeling, but an enjoyable one as well, one that she hoped would never end.

"Hey, your face is changing color again!" Jimmy said excitedly, oblivious as to the reason why. "Alright, now put your other arm on mine," he instructed. Heloise, still dazed by the experience, obeyed. "Good, now just follow my lead."

In her current state, Heloise didn't notice when it really started, but the next thing she knew she was gliding across the floor. Her body was reacting subconsciously to Jimmy's movements, a bit clumsy, but graceful enough that a casual glance would indicate an intricate dance.

Love didn't say a word about this scene, she just looked at the current Heloise. She was lost in this scene, one of her favorite memories. She had danced many times since then, always with Jimmy, but they had always been fast, lively dances to party music, like Runny and the Nosebleeds, not the slow dancing that their first encounter had been.

Meanwhile, her past self was still gliding across the floor with Jimmy. As the music entered its final verse, the pair slowed, looking at each other. At that point, Heloise's stunned expression melted into a lovesick smile.

"See, I knew you'd like it!" Jimmy said happily, still unaware of just how happy she was.

"Mm-hmmm," Heloise murmured, still lost in Jimmy's eyes.

"I told you having friends would be fun," the boy continued. "Now let's try some fast dancing."

In a flash he tore himself away from Heloise and went back toward the stereo. Immediately she missed his embrace, wanting more than anything to experience it again. She began to move toward Jimmy, but stopped. What was she doing? She was acting like one of those lovesick idiots that she sometimes saw flirting and laughing before she crushed them underneath her inventions. She had to leave, to get out of his house before…

At that moment a loud dance song began booming throughout the room. In a flash Jimmy was back at her side. "Come on, dance! It's even easier when you do it fast!" At that point, the blond boy began jumping around, waving his arms in a pattern with a goofy look on his face.

Heloise opened her mouth to protest, but quieted when she remembered the feeling she had when dancing before. Despite her brain screaming to get out of there, her heart desperately wanted to feel that feeling again. So she began moving her arms again, trying to emulate the object of her affection. She started moving her legs, bending and straightening her knees quickly, as if trying to jump but never succeeding in leaving the ground. As the music continued, the young scientist sped up, flailing her arms around and making several erratic movements. Before she knew it she lost herself in the rhythm of the song, as she moved around and made a fool of herself.

The present Heloise buried her head in her hands. "I look like a dork," she moaned, performing the color changing face trick Jimmy liked so much.

Love, however, merely smiled. "And yet it's one of your favorite memories. Why do you suppose that is?

"I don't know," she groaned, throwing her hands up in frustration. "I've asked myself that so many times over the last few months. I just don't get it! What is it about him that makes me act so stupid?"

"You already know the answer," Love replied. "You're in love with him."

"Well, yeah, but why does that make me act this way? It makes no sense!"

"Love rarely does," the emotion said.

At that, Heloise glared at her rogue emotion. She pointed a demanding finger at her. "Look, you, why don't you quit with all these games. What are you trying to show me? I already know I love Jimmy!"

"Indeed, you do," Love nodded sagely. "But you have yet to know why you love him."

The young scientist folded her arms. "I have asked myself that more than once," she admitted.

"And you keep trying to change him to be more like you and Lucius," Love continued.

"Of course," Heloise concurred, "he'd be the perfect guy then. Only the strong are worth having."

The pure emotion merely shook her head. "That's really what Lucius and Asimov convinced you, isn't it? They just kept pounding it into you until you accepted it as truth."

"It is the truth," Heloise answered, coldly and bluntly. Then, her expression softened. "At least, that's the truth in Miseryville."

"Then maybe that needs to change," Love remarked.

At that, Heloise could only arch an eyebrow. "What are you saying? That I need to change things? The only way that could ever happen is if the Heinous family was overthrown."

"Well then, that needs to happen," her emotion responded. "You always say Lucius is too much of an idiot to run things…"

The young girl held up her hands in a defensive position. "No way, I'm not doing that. I mean, I thought about it after getting rid of Asimov, but I'd have to be an idiot to actually try. Every ruler of Miseryville has been overthrown by the next in line. Even now, Samy's trying to take down Lucius, even though he thinks no one knows. If I became ruler, all that garbage would just be redirected at me. Sooner or later, someone would get lucky and I'd end up dead. As long as I'm just the Head of R&D, I'm safe from any attempts, and I get to destroy stuff." Finishing this bit of exposition, she arched an eyebrow. "Besides, why are you telling me to do that? Aren't you supposed to be telling me to be peaceful and loyal or something?"

Love shook her head. "I'm telling you only what you've already figured out. Jimmy isn't safe as long as Lucius is around, and you know, deep down in whatever heart you have left, that it isn't right what the Heinous family has been doing."

"I don't care about anyone else," the brunette huffed. "Only me and Jimmy matter. Well, maybe I'll let Cerbee stick around…"

"Oh, you care," Love responded, "Lucius may have tried to turn you into a monster, but it's not too late for you. Deep down, buried under all that hatred that he and Asimov have surrounded you with, you're still the girl you were before you came to Miseryville."

At this, Heloise was filled with a wave of sadness. Usually, when the subject of her pre-Miseryville life was brought up, she successfully managed to repress her emotions, as she had been taught. However, with everything that her rogue emotion had brought back to the surface, she wasn't even attempting to keep her feelings in check.

"That girl doesn't exist anymore," she sighed, her eyes half-closing and her back slouching, "not even as memories."

"Oh but it does. Just look."

Heloise, for once without a snarky comment, turned back to the scene of her past self dancing with Jimmy. As the several months younger Heloise jumped around, she accidentally stepped on the inside of her dress. The unexpected tug that resulted caused her to lose, her balance, sending her crashing into Jimmy. The pair fell to the floor, landing on the carpet with a soft thud.

Blushing, Heloise tried to rise, but failed to find her balance. "S-sorry," she stuttered, the unfocused speech sounding out of place coming from her. "I just…"

But Jimmy cut her off by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest, all while laughing like a schoolchild on the playground. He rolled over so that Heloise was beneath him, causing her to blush more. "Aw, don't worry, this just means we have to change what we do," he said with a sly smile.

"What are you- wah!"

Her words suddenly descended into nonsense when Jimmy began rapidly assaulting her sides with his fingers, rapidly tickling her. Heloise squealed, and tried to say something, but all that came out was laughter.

Heloise desperately tried to think of a way out of her current situation. It had been so long since she had felt this sensation as she wasn't sure how to handle it. Finally, when she collected her bearings well enough, she managed to reach out and tickle Jimmy's side. Caught off guard, Jimmy laughed and ceased his assault, allowing Heloise to roll them over with her on top, and continue her counterattack.

For a few minutes the pair rolled around on the floor, tickling each other and laughing like absolute fools. After a while, they stopped, lying next to each other and breathing heavily, trying to stop laughing.

They were silent for a few moments as Heloise glanced at the blonde haired boy who was currently gazing at the ceiling, lost in his thoughts. Even at peace, he seemed so goofy, so lovable, so...

She froze as she suddenly realized what she was acting like.

"I have to go," she said, jumping to her feet. Before Jimmy could stop her, she was gone.


End file.
